The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions
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The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair Professor David Henkin Professor Naomi Seidman Spring 2011 The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions Copyright 2011 All rights reserved by Zvi Septimus Abstract The Poetic Superstructure of the Babylonian Talmud and the Reader It Fashions by Zvi Septimus Doctor of Philosophy in Jewish Studies University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, Chair This dissertation proposes a poetics and semiotics of the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud)—how the Bavli, through a complex network of linguistic signs, acts on its implied reader's attempt to find meaning in the text. In doing so, I advance a new understanding of how the Bavli was composed, namely as a book written by its own readers in the act of transmission. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Bavli scholarship focused on the role of the Stam (the collective term for those people responsible for the anonymous voice of the Bavli) in the construction of individual Bavli passages (sugyot). Stam theory details how sugyot were crafted out of pre-existing sources and how the Stam works to control those sources in the service of a particular worldview. This dissertation locates a different force at work in the construction of the Bavli as a single unified book, an authorship that is above and against the work of the Stam—a Superstam. By examining the effect of the Bavli's use of rare and ambiguous terminology, I expand the unit of inquiry from the individual Bavli passage (sugya) to the Bavli in its entirety. I argue that, for the Bavli's implied reader, meaning is not found in the work of the Stam. While the Stam conveys meaning for a local reader, the global reader I explore does not artificially divide the Bavli into its constituent parts. For this reader, the Superstam acts to subvert the controlling work of the Stam through the placement of key words throughout the book. These words, when rare or ambiguous, direct the reader to other sugyot in which they appear. These sugyot, when read simultaneously, work to convey, for the reader, an expression of ambivalence on the part of the Superstam toward those moments of Stammaitic certainty. I conclude that Super-stammaitic activity itself is the result and product of readers who are trained how to read by the Bavli's own expectations. In this way, the Bavli is a text authored by its own readers who, in transmitting the text, become writers again and again. 1 לזכר נשמת חיה רחל בת פראדע וחיים יצחק For Bubby i Acknowledgements This dissertation is the product of twenty years of Talmud study and I therefore must start by acknowledging those friends with whom I have studied significant portions of the Talmud: Ely Behar; Meir Bick; Andrea Brott; Yoni Fisher; David Henkin; Ely Karfunkel; Daniel Kramer; Yaakov Levy; Raphael Munchick; Ari Nat; Elli Stern; Ari Tuchman; Yehudah Weisbord; and my father, Barry Septimus, with whom I have studied nearly half of the Talmud. This project has equally benefitted from the emotional and intellectual engagement and support offered by my friends during the final stages of writings. I would therefore also like to thank: Ethan Einwohner; Brian Garrick; Ari Kramer; Albert Sebag; William Selig; Daniel Silverberg; and Dov Weiss. May Kuckrow and Olynda Spitzer were essential in helping me find a mind/body balance while devoting myself to writing. My siblings and sibling-in-laws, Aliza, Sam, Cookie, Avi, Micci, Tali, Alan, Rache, Ari, and Yoni have equally provided me with emotional support and I would like to thank them for always being there for me. Additionally, my intellectual scope and critical lens have been greatly broadened through relationships with my fellow graduate student colleagues at Berkeley: Noah Kaye; Sarah Levin; Amos Bitzan; Alison Joseph; Yosefa Raz; Zehavit Stern; Riki Ophir; and Shaul Setter. I must thank the following scholars, who have read and commented on my work or have directly assisted me with this project in some other way: Yechiel Bar-Ilan; Pamela Barmash; Ari Bergman; Andrea Brott; Noah Greenfield; Sarah Imhoff; Meir Katz; Dani Kazhdan; Hillel Kieval; Yair Listoken; Shaul Magid; Sheila Melkman; Yosef Rosen; Meir Rotbard; Max Strassfeld; Jeffrey Veidlinger; Nasanel Weiner; and Holger Zellentin. I would like to thank my teachers, professors Ruti Adler, Chava Boyarin, Robert Brody, John Efron, Erich Gruen, Moshe Halbertal, David Weiss Halivni, Ron Hendel, Bernard Septimus, Dina Stein, Isadore Twersky, Trinh Minh-ha, and Molly Weinstein for the impact they've had on the way I think about the Talmud. There is a piece of every one of them in this dissertation. I thank Abigail Septimus for assisting me with some of the charts and figures; and Richard Hidary wrote the computer software I used for organizing the manuscript synopses. This project began to take its form under the guidance of Barry Wimpfheimer, without whom my ideas would never have found written form. Ari Tuchman is perhaps most responsible for a lot of the ideas (and key terminology) found in this dissertation. Through our weekly study sessions, spanning many years, Ari has both helped me refine my own ideas and allowed me to synthesize his. James Loeffler has been a great friend and advisor for many years. He has constantly provided me with insight and support, and has guided my project from its outset. Sergey Dologopolski has been an intellectual mentor and has always worked to explain to me the deeper implications of my ideas. Batya Ungar-Sargon's positive feedback and close reading of my work encouraged me to move forward with the project. I greatly benefited from Saul Friedman, who was a constant study partner for five years of graduate school. Our almost daily exchange of ideas during those years greatly enhanced the development of this project. This project ii would have been unimaginable without the almost daily phone calls to Sam Thrope, Noah Strote, and Elli Stern. Sam has been a constant intellectual partner over the last six years and has always been available to edit and re-edit my work while providing the constructive criticism that motivated me to work harder. Both Noah and Elli, from the beginning, seemed to understand my project better than I. Conferring amongst themselves, they would then inform me of what I was actually trying to say and how I should say it. Without the assistance of Noah, and his mastery over the nuances of the English language, I would still be stuck on some sentence on the first page. From the moment I met Elli in a bomb shelter in Telsche Stone fifteen years ago he has worked tirelessly to compel me to complete this project. Elli's passion is infectious and I certainly would never have been motivated to begin or finish this dissertation without his zealous belief in its importance and his efforts to convince me of the same. Lena Salaymeh worked tirelessly with me over the past few months, both editing my writing and forcing me to organize my ideas. If there is one person responsible for the timely completion of this project, it is her. My time as a student at UC Berkeley and GTU has been marked by the influence of the following scholars: Charlotte Fonrobert has been a great mentor, advisor, and friend. Though I was never officially enrolled at Stanford, I have always felt that Charlotte cared for my intellectual and professional development in the same way that she does for her official students, which is saying a great deal. Aharon Shemesh has taught me much about rabbinic texts. He has also always been available to discuss a difficult sugya or idea and help me understand how to address possible oppositions to one of my theories. Deena Aranoff has helped me refine my pedagogical skills, sometimes with words of advice and often by example. Chana Kronfeld has been a great teacher and guide in the development of my ideas about literary theory. Without her constant support and encouragement, spanning a decade, I would never have developed the theoretical framework necessary to translate my views on the Talmud into the language of an academic discipline. I thank Martin Schwartz and Robert (Uri) Alter for serving on my comprehensive examination committee. Uri has always been available in a timely manner to discuss my work. As an undergraduate I was inspired by his ability to find the beauty in a text. As a graduate student I aspired to try to read the Talmud the way that only he reads the Bible. David Henkin has been a great mentor in many ways throughout my graduate years at Cal. David is always the first person I turn to for advice in any matter. His penetrating insight into intellectual and human affairs has been a great resource for me over the years. David is a world class teacher who I have learned much from. I thank him for serving on my dissertation committee as well as for the time he has spent studying Talmud with me weekly over the last several years. I thank Naomi Seidman for carefully and critically reading my dissertation. Naomi's critique of my writing and ideas has led me to clarify much of what I was trying to communicate to my reader. Naomi's insight into my work has often led me in new and challenging directions.